


Five More Minutes

by EclecticIsMyMiddleName



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic, Established Relationship, Living Together, M/M, Making Up, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclecticIsMyMiddleName/pseuds/EclecticIsMyMiddleName
Summary: After an argument with his boyfriend, Sanji finds out how cold the bed is without him.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 14
Kudos: 75





	Five More Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Trickstermel (Watermelon-chan) for beta-ing!! ^v^

The bed was cold.

No matter how many blankets Sanji pulled out, the bed stubbornly remained freezing.

Tossing for the thousandth time in the past hour, Sanji buried a sigh into his pillow. Opening his eyes, the low light of his bedroom greeted him. Rolling onto his back, he star-fished out, kicking his legs across the side of the bed usually occupied by someone else.

Someone who was currently snoring on the couch.

“This is stupid,” Sanji muttered to no one. Guilt knotted in his gut, leaving him colder. “I...I miss him.”

He had lost count of how many times he had replayed the evening in his head.

Walking through the front door to the apartment, exhausted from closing up the restaurant. Spotting his boyfriend on the couch, half-asleep and struggling to keep his eyes open. Trying and failing to sneak to their bedroom without disturbing him. 

The argument that broke out after.

_ “Is it so bad that I miss my boyfriend?! We hardly spend any time together anymore!” _

Sanji winced as he remembered his comeback.

_ “Don’t you realize how much work running a restaurant takes?! You think I want to be spending the entire day on my feet and then still have to lock up afterwards?! All I want to do right now is sleep!” _

At that, his boyfriend had thrown his hands in the air, giving up. 

Sanji had stalked away to their bedroom, too lethargic to care.

And then sleep didn’t come, all the exhaustion that had accumulated in his body suddenly vanishing. Instead, aches and pains kept him awake. Soreness in his limbs from rushing about the kitchen. Tired feet and cramping hands. The skin of his knuckles chapped from repeated hand washing. 

The voice in the back of Sanji’s head told him it was time to give up the fight; reel in the stubbornness so it wouldn’t sour their relationship. 

Besides, there was no way he was going to get any sleep like this. Only when his heart was at ease again would he finally be able to rest.

Heaving a sigh, Sanji forced himself to sit up. The wooden floors were frigid beneath his bare feet. But he endured it long enough to gather up the comforter on the bed. Then he half-walked, half-jogged to the living room so he could stand on the mercifully warm rug in front of the couch.

Sprawled out on the cushions was Sanji’s boyfriend, Ace. His dark hair went past his shoulders, looking as spread out as he was; part of it draped over the armrest, part of it obscured his face, and part of it was sticking to the backrest. A thin blanket was falling off of him. Only a corner of it covered his stomach and hips while the rest of it was crumpled on the floor.

Sanji shook his head, a small smile curling on his lips.

Dropping the comforter onto the floor, Sanji grabbed the blanket Ace was using and tugged it the rest of the way off. Once it was tossed aside, he set about spreading the comforter over his boyfriend. As he was pulling it up to his chin, Ace’s mouth fell open in a loud snore.

Chuckling, Sanji pressed his fingertips to the underside of his chin and closed his mouth. From there, his fingers strayed to brush Ace’s hair away from his face. The pads of his fingers gently grazed over a few freckles on his cheek.

Then being as careful as he could, he slipped under the covers. After five years of dating, cuddling up next to him was second nature. The couch wasn’t as wide as their bed, so he had to lay partially on top of him. There was a heart-stopping second when Ace stirred, but then he relaxed again, his head lolling to the side.

Sanji snickered softly before resting his cheek on Ace’s chest. One hand came up, palm covering Ace’s heart and feeling it beat. He thought back to the first time he had found himself in this position with Ace.

He had been nineteen, halfway through his first year of college when Ace had asked him out. Ace had been a sophomore at the time. A wonderful first date led to more dates until finally, Sanji spent the first of many nights in Ace’s apartment. After that, they were officially hooked on each other. School was hectic, but they had always made it work. 

Five years later, Sanji was opening and running his first restaurant. 

Suddenly, it  _ wasn’t  _ working anymore. 

The restaurant required long hours; hours that ate up all the spare time he had. Sanji was early to rise and late to return home. Their “good morning” and “goodnight” moments became the only time they spent together. More often than not, one of them was asleep while the other whispered it.

Eyelids feeling heavier by the second, Sanji let them slip closed. His boyfriend was like a human furnace - always had been. The warmth he radiated melted away any lingering tension in Sanji’s body. His aches and pains faded, the steady beat of Ace’s heart and the weight of the comforter lulling him to sleep. Right before he lost consciousness, he felt Ace shift. Strong arms wrapped around his waist and muscular legs entwined with his. The worry in his heart eased, and he rested at last.

* * *

Early morning sunlight peeked through the curtains. Just as quickly as he had opened his eyes, Sanji shut them against the sun’s rays. Pulling the comforter higher, he covered his eyes. Without the light to blind him, Sanji relaxed.

Until Ace’s chest started trembling with soft laughter.

Sanji groaned quietly, his voice rough from sleep as he grumbled, “How the hell are you awake before me?”

“Literally jus’ woke up,” Ace mumbled, his voice low and clearly still tired. One of Ace’s hands started rubbing up-and-down Sanji’s back in a slow, soothing rhythm. “Just in time to see you pout and pull the blanket up over your head.”

“I don’t pout,” Sanji muttered in a tone that sounded awfully pouty.

Ace chuckled before angling his head to kiss the top of Sanji’s head. “I take it you aren’t mad anymore?”

“No, not anymore,” Sanji replied, fingertips tracing idle circles on Ace’s chest. “You?”

“Nah.” Ace stopped rubbing his back, instead encircling both his arms around Sanji’s waist in a hug. “We were both pretty tired last night. Cranky, y’know?”

“Mhm.” Sanji lifted his head, meeting Ace’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too,” Ace replied, a frown marring his expression. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but I’ve missed you so much, y’know?”

“I know. I’ve missed you, too,” Sanji said, reaching up a hand to card his fingers through Ace’s hair. A sudden smile tugged on Sanji’s lips as he said, “How about I take the weekend off? We can make up for some lost time.”

Ace’s eyes went wide, lips parting in an expression Sanji quickly realized as mock surprise. Bracing himself, he could only grin in exasperation as Ace put a hand to Sanji’s forehead.

“Are you sick, babe?!” Ace exclaimed, laughing.  _ “My _ Sanji is taking time off work?! My  _ workaholic  _ boyfriend is closing up shop for two whole days?!”

“Oh, fuck off!” Sanji laughed, swatting Ace’s hand away. He sobered as he grabbed Ace’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I know we haven’t spent much time together lately. I wanna make up for that. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt me to take a break from work every now and then.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Ace replied, lifting his head to kiss Sanji’s cheek. “It means a lot to me that you’d do that.”

“Of course I would!” Sanji leaned down, pressing a chaste kiss to Ace’s lips. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Taking his hand from Sanji’s grasp, Ace threaded his fingers in Sanji’s hair, pulling him down into a lingering, lazy kiss. When he broke away, he chuckled quietly. “Good mornin’, by the way.”

“Good morning,” Sanji said, wrinkling his nose and then breaking into a laugh, covering Ace’s mouth with his hand. “You have morning breath!”

Ace curled his free hand around Sanji’s wrist, yanking it away. “Said the  _ smoker! _ Besides, you’ve got it, too!”

Like the fully-grown and sophisticated twenty-four-year-old that he was, Sanji stuck his tongue out at him.

“Oh, you’re  _ so  _ mature!” Ace teased, laughing as his hands flew to Sanji’s sides. His hands were up under his boyfriend’s shirt before Sanji could react, fingers tickling his ribs without warning. “Luckily, I’m  _ not!” _

A shout of surprise tore from Sanji’s throat before he dissolved into unrestricted laughter. A string of curse words fell from his lips, Ace’s name thrown in every now and then. By the time Ace showed mercy and stopped, tears were budding in the corners of Sanji’s eyes.

“Ace, you bastard!” Sanji panted, clearing his eyes with the back of his hand. A few leftover laughs tumbled out before he laid back down on Ace’s chest to catch his breath. “You’re such a shithead.”

“You love me anyway,” Ace pointed out, kissing the top of Sanji’s head. 

“Mm, yeah I do,” Sanji mumbled, already getting tired again. 

While Sanji was in the middle of yawning, Ace let out a sigh. “I suppose you’ll have to start getting ready for work soon?”

Sanji glanced at the clock. It read a little past six in the morning. 

By now, he would’ve been on his way to the restaurant. Six days out of the week, he got up at five in the morning so he could get ready for work, then drive to the restaurant to prep everything. That meant fixing the dining area, checking the appliances, counting the inventory, wiping down the counters one last time, and more. And all before opening the doors at eleven.

“Eh, I’m in no rush right now,” Sanji replied, returning his attention to his boyfriend. His hands came up to frame Ace’s face, his thumb grazing his cheekbone. “Work can wait.”

Squeezing him tighter, Ace asked, “Are you sure?”

With a nod, Sanji dipped his head down for a kiss. “Just five more minutes.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a twitter if you wanna go follow me there!  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/EclecticWrites  
> My handle is @EclecticWrites.
> 
> I have a tumblr, too!!  
> Tumblr: eclecticwrites.tumblr.com


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